Pac-12 picks, Week 12: A yawn-worthy conference slate

Only four Pac-12 games this week, and none of them feature ranked teams playing against each other -- and each betting line currently stands at eight points or more. How's that for must-see TV? (Pssst -- we're 14-2-1 picking against the spread the last three weeks, so you might want to stay away from our predictions this week. The downfall is coming.)

As always, lines (in parentheses) are for entertainment and gambling purposes only, and come courtesy of VegasInsider.com. And, as always, our pick for the Washington game will come in a separate post tomorrow. Now, let's get to it before the California-USC game kicks off and everyone calls me a cheater.

Last week: 4-1 straight-up, 5-0 against the spread.

Season: 58-16 straight-up, 38-28-2 against the spread.

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California at USC, 6 p.m., ESPN (USC by 14) -- The Bears still feel like a dangerous team, but against a capable offense like USC's, I just don't think Cal has enough defensive firepower to keep up. It'll be worth watching, though, if only to see Javorius Allen romp for 200 yards or so. And I have a feeling we could see a backdoor cover in the final minutes. Not picking it, though. The pick: USC 41, California 24.

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SATURDAY

Utah at Stanford, 3 p.m., Pac-12 Networks (Stanford by 8) -- This line feels a little steep, given the Cardinal's offensive (and red-zone) ineptitude for much of this season. Then again, the Utes and quarterback Travis Wilson haven't exactly posed a formidable threat, either, and Stanford's defense is good enough to keep them off the scoreboard. If this game were in Salt Lake City, I'd probably take the Utes. As it is, I'll go with a Stanford victory and a Utah cover -- assuming Kaelin Clay doesn't present the Cardinal with a gift touchdown at any point. The pick: Stanford 17, Utah 14.

Arizona State at Oregon State, 7:45 p.m., ESPN (ASU by 9.5) -- Hard to see any way the Beavers keep up with the Sun Devils here, as OSU looks poised to roll over and lose its fourth consecutive home game. ASU, meanwhile, is still chasing a spot in the College Football Playoff, and is coming off an impressive romp over Notre Dame (though it wound up being a little closer than the Sun Devils would have liked). Taylor Kelly will throw for three more scores, D.J. Foster will rush for 100-plus and ASU's defense will score again, too. The pick: ASU 49, OSU 28.

Christian Caple can be reached at christian.caple@thenewstribune.com. Twitter: @ChristianCaple